Last weekend, no one can argue that Will Stein's offense didn't seem have any answers for Curt Cignetti's defense. He looked to be relying on the passing game far to early and often. This clearly got Dante Moore into a bad rhythm that he couldn't work his way out of. Fortunately one of the nations top analysts, and our own Geoff Schwartz, thinks we have had the answer all along.

Autzen Zoo

Geoff Schwartz reveals how to get the Oregon offense back...

Geoff Schwartz knows ball.

The runs up the gut were working.

I say this every year, early on at least, we need patience and let the hot hand running back develop over the course of multiple series.

Davison was that guy. He was getting chunk yardage on a regular basis.

Our tackles were getting destroyed in pass rush and even on the outside runs but the interior was making lanes and a big back like Davison was taking yards.

Passing the ball is not the problem, IMHO.

Leaving the pocket too early, and not seeing open receivers downfield was the passing game problem.

17 minutes ago, Charles Fischer said:

Passing the ball is not the problem, IMHO.

Leaving the pocket too early, and not seeing open receivers downfield was the passing game problem.

And absolutely this.

Moore was shaken and got antsy pretty quickly as the game progressed because he took so many sacks.

Some were the offensive lines fault and some were half or holding onto the ball for too long.

Remember Gabriel and Nix both could get the ball out in about 2 seconds. Yes, they were experienced but that kept them from taking a ton of sacks.

14 minutes ago, Charles Fischer said:

Passing the ball is not the problem, IMHO.

Leaving the pocket too early, and not seeing open receivers downfield was the passing game problem.

Charles, do you have any remaining eligibility? There is a 58-year-old guy playing college football this season, and you see the field so well. You know I'm only (half) kidding. 😊

The Rose Bowl was an Epic Fail. This was a Fail. Dante goes from Heisman front-runner to his days playing for Chip at UCLA? The defense plays a very good game until it really matters in the 4th quarter? Oh well. Next case.

It could be worse, in spades. We could be in (un)Happy Valley trying to qualify for the Sun Bowl😁with Saturday's game on the road against a team that never plays good D at home, Iowa.

Then, after a nap, our Nits get to play ball in Columbus before entertaining Indiana. 🤪 If I'm back up QB Ethan Grunkmeyer's agent, I'm telling Grunk to take up field hockey. 🙃

Or, we could be Mad 🤬in Madison, where the only barrel we want to roll out is filled with Fickell pickle juice.

Get right at Rutgers!

1 hour ago, Charles Fischer said:

Passing the ball is not the problem, IMHO.

Leaving the pocket too early, and not seeing open receivers downfield was the passing game problem.

This seems fixable. However, Moore could have a mental hang-up after being hit too much. If he can't get past it then they should get Novosad ready. Iowa's defense is going to test his mettle in a few weeks. He can count on that.

I think everything that went wrong last Saturday is pretty obvious to us and the coaching staff from the film, and they will learn and adjust somewhat.

IU is really good, but it's clear we are capable of beating them if we learn from the experience.

I think some OC at some point is going to remember the reason why nobody uses a 4-3 base set anymore and call the appropriate plays to beat IU's defense.

IMHO, Davison is the best all around running back and should get the majority of carries (~20 per game). Bring in Whittington and Hill as change of pace backs but I want Davison grinding down the defense all game long.

This game kinda reminds me of the DeBoer Washington teams Lanning struggled with.

The game was close..much closer than the 10 point loss.

It's in the details and the minor things and the preparation that would make all the difference.

3 hours ago, David Marsh said:

And absolutely this.

Moore was shaken and got antsy pretty quickly as the game progressed because he took so many sacks.

Some were the offensive lines fault and some were half or holding onto the ball for too long.

Remember Gabriel and Nix both could get the ball out in about 2 seconds. Yes, they were experienced but that kept them from taking a ton of sacks.

That's the key word right there. It's easy to forget that we've been kinda spoiled with the grizzled veteran type of experience Bo and Dillon brought from the onset. Those guys had seen it all and never got rattled because of that. I call a mulligan on Dante's time at UCLA as it was miserable with a bad OL and a head coach that was pretty much checked out. So in my eyes, he's just in his 2nd real year with the 1st learning Oregon's system.

As he plays more we'll see him reading defenses more easily and making better decisions under pressure, it's just going to take time. I suspect he'll be a much different player by the end of the season.

Whoa Nellie on the negative talk surrounding OBD.

Tom Fornelli's Power Ratings have a B1G trifecta on top. 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. OBD

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-power-ratings-indiana-ohio-state-oregon-big-ten/

I'm off to watch my recording of Tommy Boy! 😁

1 hour ago, kirklandduck said:

I call a mulligan on Dante's time at UCLA as it was miserable with a bad OL and a head coach that was pretty much checked out. So in my eyes, he's just in his 2nd real year with the 1st learning Oregon's system.

Couldn’t you make the case that the UCLA situation and experience was so bad that it should count as a negative?

I don’t know Dante but it appears that UCLA destroyed his confidence. Our coaches seem to have been trying to build up his confidence and his emotions poured out after the Penn State victory. Unfortunately, Dante took a step back on Saturday (he didn’t have much help from the coaching staff or players). Hope everyone can learn from this and keep getting better throughout the season.

I have a great deal of respect for Dante after reading articles on his comments about the game.

The young man felt that the offense was off its normal energy and tempo and that he made a number of pre-snap mistakes.

He missed numerous pre-snap simple reads on the defense. Because of that he didnt make audibles to change the O's formation to block the pressure.

IU played a simple pressure defense with a front 7 talented enough to bring it all day to the Ducks. Experience has taught us all that points are scored when the QB steps up in the box with his head up looking for the open man. Dante simply put himself and the team in a situation where his head was down, running to escape.

Bo and Dillion had eyes downfield and their scrambles downfield not only put pressure on the defense but many times generated first downs. Dante will get there in time.

Dante felt key penalties stalled the Ducks in key moments. He was right and we all saw it in real time.

Couple all this that IU played their best big time game ever! While the Ducks couldnt find their stride. Credit IU for that fact and props to them.

Cant wait for the Rutgers game.....

GO DUCKS!

2 hours ago, OregonDucks said:

Couldn’t you make the case that the UCLA situation and experience was so bad that it should count as a negative?

I don’t know Dante but it appears that UCLA destroyed his confidence. Our coaches seem to have been trying to build up his confidence and his emotions poured out after the Penn State victory. Unfortunately, Dante took a step back on Saturday (he didn’t have much help from the coaching staff or players). Hope everyone can learn from this and keep getting better throughout the season.

Oh you can absolutely make that case. UCLA had just lost a 4 year starting QB in Dorian Thomas-Robinson in which that last 2022 season was probably Chip Kelly's apex at that school. Then Dante walks into an immediate starting role where the team that following season was just bad all around. Kelly had pretty much checked out so I doubt Dante was getting any sort of meaningful development in practice while being sacked over and over during games.

The silver lining is that he realized he made a bad call flipping for starting time right away and came back to OBD.

I don’t like admitting this…..but I think it’s pretty clear that we were “out coached.”

And maybe in the end, it will be a turning point……and have the Ducks heading in the right direction…..the playoffs.

9 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Passing the ball is not the problem, IMHO.

Leaving the pocket too early, and not seeing open receivers downfield was the passing game problem.

I think Davidson (the RB) was the better option. A nice soft arc to the end zone is a TD. He DID look right at Bryant, and wasn't looking at the "out and up"- but both were there

It appears Moore was rattled and didn't settle down. A few of his sacks were "not thinking it through" moments in my opinion.

This is where coaching and development will be tested. Moore panicked instead of trusting himself and his ability to make plays that were there.

I do NOT agree with the play calling however. But I'm not sure Stein knew what I to do given his QB was out of character. I still want to see simple routes like a down and out when the QB is struggling. Stein did go up top on the fade route twice. I want to see that six, maybe seven times with sequential options underneath those routes.

I'm looking for 45 points ON EVERYBODY. Which means looking for the jugular early and often. I want Stein to be much more aggressive. Loved his run play calling for the most part. Now we need to make teams respect our deep game for real. I need to see that Ohio State strategy in Eugene from now on.

1 hour ago, DUCKED said:

I don’t like admitting this…..but I think it’s pretty clear that we were “out coached.”

And maybe in the end, it will be a turning point……and have the Ducks heading in the right direction…..the playoffs.

I believe experience -or lack thereof - was in play. Cignetti and his crew adjusted immediately to almost everything. DL and crew don't know how to do that yet.

I honestly believe the staff needs to go completely out of character from here out. They need to just junk what they like to do. Both sides of the ball. Just line up and play some basic football. They're predictable. And if I can see it, you bet every elite coach, including high school coaches, can see it.

I also thought the players were stiff, and out of sorts. I'm not quite sure what kind of team we're looking at yet. They're good, and can be great, but they don't know how to deal with their flaws in a way that produces success.

That's where it is at now. Turning weaknesses into strengths. Speed, agility, vision and playmaking. Keeping players out of the tendencies that get them best. Teaching them how to be where they should be, and in Dante Moore's case, setting his feet and learning how to slide in the pocket to buy time.

It's a great opportunity. Shedding assumptions and playing to what the game gives you and what you do with your natural abilities that produce consistent, executable results. This team ,not any-including Ohio State - are going to Georgia circa 2022/2022 people. It's the little things that produce the most maximum results that is going twin the title this year.

I always love your insights Mike.

Zooming out a bit, as I would get lost following you into the weeds:

• To start the season most thought OBD would be rebuilding to some extent, with so many starters gone.

• Dominant wins over subpar opponents began to turn that tide, as the first weeks of the season looked so different than last year.

• The win at PSU solidified that narrative for most, as it appeared to confirm that OBD were for real.

• Then PSU stumbles, and OBD loses at home...

IMO we're simply back where we expected to be. OBD are loaded with talent but need to grow and come together as a team. They still have the potential to be great, but still need to become who they are going to be. The loss can help that if leveraged correctly.

I'm still excited about this team. Just as I was preseason.

Let's not let the quick expectation inflation/deflation ruin that.

Go Ducks!

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by bbmichaels
Grammar